
Dear Tom,
What month has had the most 6-inch or greater snowfalls here?
Nick Recchia, River Grove
Dear Nick,
Six-inch snowstorms: a child's delight and a motorist's nightmare. Chicago
has its share of such storms, to be sure, but, given its reputation as a
cold and snowy Midwestern city, not as many as one might suppose.
Chicago weather historian Frank Wachowski cracked open the record books to
provide the following snowy statistics. Based on 80 years of snowfall data
compiled at Midway Airport since 1928, the city has logged 112 snows of 6
inches or greater, an average of 1.4 per winter season.
Here's the monthly breakdown: November, 3 storms; December, 30; January, 25;
February, 26; March, 24; April, 4. Two surprises: April leads November; and
December, only the city's third-coldest month (behind January and February),
leads the pack.
WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center staff provide daily coverage of weather in the Chicago area.
